Our history
The discovery of the Groningen gas field in 1959 was exciting news for the Netherlands, but it also marked the start of a gold rush period in the country's oil and gas industry. Within just a few years, there were at least four major players (NAM, Chevron, Mobil and BP) actively exploring for oil and gas in the Netherlands.
The potential that the Netherlands offered had not gone unnoticed by the state-owned oil and gas companies in France. In the early 1960s, France's Regie Autonome des Pétroles (RAP) and the Bureau de Recherches des Pétroles (BRP) were actively exploring for gas onshore and offshore in the Netherlands by means of aeromagnetic and seismic surveys and exploration drilling.
This advance work resulted in the formation of Petroland N.V. in Rotterdam on 31 March 1964. The new company was a four-way venture between:
- Société auxiliaire de la Régie autonome des pétroles (Auxirap)
- Société de participations pétrolières (Petropar)
- Société de recherches et d'exploitation de pétrole (Eurafrep)
- Compagnie française des pétroles (CFP) – the legal predecessor of the present-day TotalEnergies S.E.
The company has grown substantially since the early days. Important milestones in our almost 60-year rich history are shown below:
- 1964 - Company established under the name Petroland N.V.
- 1971 - Start of onshore gas production in the Leeuwarden permit area.
- 1973 - First gas discoveries on the Dutch Continental Shelf.
- 1977 - Start of offshore gas production in L7 block and at the treatment center in Middenmeer.
- 1983 - First gas production from L4-A platform.
- 1984 - Award of Zuidwal permit.
- 1985 - First gas production from L7-A and L4-B, the first unmanned platforms on the Dutch Continental Shelf.
- 1988 - First gas production from Zuidwal, Oosterend, Leeuwarden West fields and L7-N platform; world's first three horizontal gas wells are drilled from Zuidwal platform.
- 1989 - Start-up of L7-H platform.
- 1992 - NOGAT gas pipeline system commissioned; start-up of K6 treatment center, and first gas production from K6-D and K6-DN platforms.
- 1993 - First gas production from F15-A platform.
- 1994 - Start-up of K5 treatment center; K5-A and K5-D platforms are operational.
- 1995 - Start-up of K5-B platform.
- 1997 - Start-up of K5-EN/C platform and K4-aD subsea well.
- 1998 - First gas production from the Gorredijk concession.
- 1999 - Start-up of L4-PN and K6-GT platforms.
- 2001 - Merger with Total Oil and Gas Nederland B.V. to become TotalFinaElf E&P Nederland B.V.; start-up of K4-BE platform.
- 2003 - New company name: Total E&P Nederland B.V.
- 2004 - Sale of onshore production licences to Vermilion Energy; launch of L4-G project.
- 2005 - Successful drilling of K5EC-5, the longest extended-reach well in the Netherlands; preparations for K5-F development.
- 2006 - First gas production from L4-G subsea well.
- 2007 - Merger of the Den Helder office with the head office in The Hague.
- 2008 - Acquisition of Goal Petroleum (Netherlands) B.V.; start-up of the K5-F subsea wells using world's first all-electrically operated subsea wellheads; approval of the K5-CU project.
- 2010 - Start-up of K5-CU satellite platform.
- 2012 - Subsea lines are laid for K4-Z gas production installation; large 3D seismic acquisition on of Total E&P Nederland acreage; start-up of L4-D field.
- 2013 - Start-up of K4-Z subsea production installation.
- 2014 - Total E&P Nederland celebrates its 50th anniversary.
- 2015 - First development well offshore L7-A1 fully decommissioned, Seafox 2 after service of nine years replaced by GMS Endeavour.
- 2016 - Inauguration of GENIUS (Generating an Environment for New Integrated and Unified Solutions)
- 2017 - L7 closes after 40 years of production, installation of new pipeline between K6 and L4
- 2021 - New company name: TotalEnergies EP Nederland B.V. and start of the CCS Aramis project
- 2022 – Start of new operating mode including fully unmanned offshore operations
- 2023 - Start of L7 site restitution project
